


The Eleventh Hour

by Skatinggirl2011



Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-23
Updated: 2016-01-19
Packaged: 2018-05-03 02:45:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5273567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skatinggirl2011/pseuds/Skatinggirl2011
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Red Hood found something that could give him the edge over Black Mask.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I've decided to post this story on AO3. It's originally on fanfiction.net, so if you've seen it on there, it's the same thing. Let me know what you think.

_Are apologies labors of sweat after all?_

_Should I build them from my brow and then salt us in underwater reef_

_or merely admit I'm human? And no, that's not an excuse._

_Just meant to say egotism is an easy tide,_

_and I've never known a shark to be selfless before._

_~Alysia Harris, "The 11th Hour"_

The streets of Gotham glistened like silvery tributaries as the street-lamps and city lights began to glow and reflect off of the smooth asphalt still damp with the rain from earlier in the day.

A slight haze hovered inches above the ground as the muggy summer night attempted to reclaim the moisture it had lost in its previous storm- attempted to regain its strength and volatility it previously possessed.

Somewhere in the city, a young woman and her friend exited a yoga studio with closed damp umbrellas in one hand and their respective sports bags in the other. Following behind them, just within earshot, were three burly men with their hands jammed in their pockets. The trio remained muttered as they observed their surroundings while still keeping an eye on the women.

The group blended in with the crowd. To the untrained eye, they were just like every other Gothamite on the street involved in the constant nightlife of that area. 

However, unlike those around them, they had a sense of direction- a sense of purpose, and that’s what helped him locate them in the first place.

* * *

 

Riley Sionis was privileged to very few things in her life that were hers alone: yoga and church. Everything else was her father’s. Most things in her life were aimed at maintaining the Black Mask’s empire. Sure, he may manipulate things so that they appeared to be her own choice and in her own self-interest, but she had been around him long enough to know that all he ever dud was manipulate others to get what he wanted. He was skilled enough to manipulate all of his crew without their knowledge, and the few that recognized what he was doing were afraid to go against him.

Fear was power, and power was exactly what the Black Mask was addicted to.

That’s why Riley held on tightly to the two things in her life by going every evening to the studio and the cathedral before she set out for work.

As Riley exited the studio with her assistant- and possibly the only person she considered a close friend at this point- she felt at ease as she followed the simple routine that gave her some sense of control and power.

“We are running a bit behind schedule,” Riley’s companion informed her as she glanced and her watch.

“Rachel, don’t worry about it. I’m only stopping by to light a candle and say a prayer. It won’t be too time consuming.”

Rachel knew Riley was particular about her routine but knew she also had the tendency to lose track of time, which was why Roman Sionis hired her in the first place. 

“Are you sure? Mr. Sionis stressed the importance of tonight’s activities.”

Riley sighed and shrugged. “I’m aware of that, but I know it won’t take that long. We’ll be in and out, and things will be as right as rain!” 

Arguing with Riley was a fruitless endeavor most of the time, but Rachel was fearful of anything that disrupted the Black Mask’s schedule, especially as some newcomer was threatening his business. “The world won’t end if you miss one night.”

Riley remained quite but picked up the pace. She was as nervous as Rachel about being late- if not more so- her father scared her, but she had a routine for a reason. She feared what would happen if she interrupted it, and she was already altering it slightly to accommodate the Black Mask. 

While the routine gave her a sense of control, it also developed into a superstition: follow it, and you’ll be successful; deviate, and invite trouble.

Riley recognized it wasn’t the most logical thing to believe in, but the fear was still there. Why fix it if it’s not broken?

The cathedral was a few blocks away from the yoga studio. It was an imposing gothic structure that seemed out of place amongst the neon bar signs, flashing disco lights, and drug deals. Still, it was one of the few places that took care of those in need, and that spot was as good a place as any.

The intricate stone architecture resembled the cathedrals in Europe with its tympanum above the door depicting the Adoration of the Magi. While the ornate windows closest to the ground had bars in front of them to protect the church from break-ins, the gothic rose window and lancets towered above, its glass unimpeded by the modern safety features.

Riley motioned for the three men to wait outside the church while she and Rachel entered through the heavy oak doors that led into the dimly lit space.

Rachel took a seat in one of the pews near the back of the church while Riley paused for a brief moment to catch her breath. “I’ll only be five minutes- if that,” she told Rachel and continued down the aisle to the front near the ornate alter and to the enclave to the left of it. Several candles were already burning, casting a warm glow on the depiction of the Mother Mary.

Riley shoved a dollar into the slot beneath the row of candles, lit one more, and kneeled to pray about nothing in particular.

She was lost in thought for a few minutes until she heard a faint rustling and then a sharp thud near the back of the church where Rachel had been sitting. Riley sighed and figured that it was Rachel’s way of telling her to hurry up.

“Alright, alright,” she called out as she made the sign of the cross and rose to her feet. “You don’t have to be so passive aggres-“ Riley exited the enclave she had been in to find the rest of the church empty.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. “Rae?”

No response. Something was definitely wrong. She ducked seconds before a knife came flying at her. The knife hit the statue of Saint Michael behind her and fell at its feet.

Riley yelped as she made a run for the door.

“Oh, you’re a runner, aren’t you?” a man’s voice echoed all around her. “That’ll make this more entertaining.”

As Riley shoved her way through the doors, she caught a glimpse of the three men, drowning in a pool of their own blood, and a crowd of horrified people. She didn’t give them a second glance as instinct kicked in. She dashed down the sidewalk as fast as she could, pushing past people that almost seemed to be frozen in time. She heard the doors of the church slam shut and shouts from people behind.

Riley needed a place to blend in easily. She was too vulnerable out here. Running and shoving people out of the way would only draw attention to her. One of the safe houses nearby was out of the question. Her father would kill her if she led someone there. Instead, she would have to settle for one of the nearby clubs. She knew most of them well enough to not be too off guard.

Making a sharp right, Riley quickly maneuvered through the throng of people waiting outside one of the clubs and past security into the smoky area.

The bass of the house music shook her entire body, and she began to dance with the crowd of people, making it easy to move across the room and to the stairs that led up to the platform above them that served as extra space.

Her body shook with anxiety and her heart pounded loudly in her ears. _You need to calm down so you can adapt and change._ She looked around her to see if anything was out of the ordinary, but found nothing.

What was going on? Who was coming after her? _No one knows my actual face except for those closest to me. I made sure of it…_

Riley jumped as she felt someone behind her place their hands on her hips and pull her close. She looked behind her and saw it was only a frat guy with eyes glazed over.

“Woah, clam down,” he slurred. “I just want to dance.”

She gave him a polite smile and peeled herself away from the stranger.

_Stop being so jumpy_ she told herself. _That’s a normal thing that happens_ … Riley’s heart felt as though it was about to burst out of her chest. What the hell was going on? Why couldn’t she calm herself down? She had done this a million times before, so why couldn’t she compose herself now?

_Water!_ She needed cold water and fast so she could force her body to calm down- to activate the safety response mechanism in her brain.

Once more, she pushed through the crowds of people, not even bothering to try dancing and blending in, as she made her way down the stairs and to the bathrooms. She paused for a second to check her surroundings to make sure she didn’t see any sign of her pursuer, and dipped into the restroom.

Her chest was tight as she began to gasp for air. It felt as though the air was getting thinner with each passing second. Riley leaped towards the sink, and, with shaky hands, splashed her face with cold water.

It wasn’t working. Her body wasn’t responding to the cold water at all. She glanced up at her face in the mirror, and for a second it felt as though her heart had stopped completely.

“Those darn panic attacks can be such a bitch.” A man in a red, skintight mask stood behind her.

Things started to fade around her.

“Although, yours in particular is a doozy.”

Riley whirled around and lunged at him, catching him off guard as they both tumbled to the ground.

“You are a fighter,” he grunted as he quickly threw himself on top of her. He pinned her arms to the ground as she struggled to get free.

The world around her grew hazier, and there was a loud ringing in her ears that drowned out the house music in the background. 

He leaned down closer to her and shifted his weight on her right arm and pulled out a jagged knife.

_This is it. I’m dying… I’m going to die… I’m going to die…_ she thought as she lost the strength in her body to fight and became still.

Riley watched as he grabbed her left arm and held the blade to it. She felt the knife connect with her skin before everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

_Pain. I seem to have an affection, a kind of sweet tooth for it. Bolts of lightening, little rivulets of thunder. And I, the eye of the storm._

_~Toni Morrison, Jazz_

Jason tossed the girl’s bag and the tracking device in the dumpster behind the club. The girl was slung over his right shoulder, but he brought her down and pulled her to his side as he grappled up to the roof of the building. _This better be worth all of this_ he thought to himself.

He had been tailing her for some time now, studying her every move and watching her interactions with those around her. He’d looked at her history, but that only got him so far.

He knew the Black Mask would be furious she had been kidnapped. He had invested a large sum of money to turn her into something he could be proud of- something he could use to grow his empire. There was no way he’d let her go easily.

“Some waste of money,” he muttered to himself as he maneuvered across rooftops as easily as he would without the weight of an extra person. Why hadn’t she put up more of a fight? Sure, he knew the gas he had used in the church would induce panic that she wouldn’t be able to fight off, but if she couldn’t change into another person under all of that, what good were all of those experiments?

Still, even if he couldn’t use her abilities to his advantage, he could use her knowledge and the resentment she held towards her father to his advantage. She knew the operations inside and out- where the weaknesses where, the future plans for Black Masks operations, and everything he needed to aid him in taking down the Black Mask once and for all.

That is- assuming she would agree to help him, but he knew how she thought, and he could use that into manipulating her to work for him. She was a survivor- she did whatever she could to stay alive and thrive. She reminded of his childhood before Bruce Wayne took him in. Back her into a corner and give her the choice of a better situation or death, and she would take the former- regardless of whether or not it betrayed her family.

* * *

 

“What do you mean she’s missing?” Roman Sionis yelled as he grabbed one of his men by the collar, beginning to strangle him. 

“We followed the tracker and found it in the dumpster with her phone-“ the man was thrown on the ground and shrank back in terror as Black Mask bent over him, glaring. 

“Let me see it!”

The henchman pulled the phone out of his pocket and tossed it to him.

Roman unlocked the phone, only to discover a selfie of the Red Hood and his unconscious daughter. He let out a scream of rage, chucked the phone across the room, and pulled out his gun to shoot the bearer of bad news. 

At the sound of gunshots, his assistant burst through the doors of his office.

“Li, I want every man we have searching the surrounding area. That son of a bitch has Riley, and there’s no way in hell I’m letting him off easy. I want that peon to suffer.”

“Yes sir, our people are already on it. They’ve found the body guards gunned down in front of the church, as well as Rachel, who is currently in the hospital from the injuries she sustained.”

Roman slammed his fist on the desk, causing Li to jump back a little. “How did he find out about Riley?”

He had made sure to keep her at a distance. He had paid off the right people to hide her connection to him. He had killed the doctor and nurses that had delivered her twenty-two years ago. He made sure to treat her like every other lieutenant he had. So how did the Red Hood know to go after her?

“I’m not sure, Sir, but I’m already looking into it.”

* * *

 

Fear was something Riley was used to. From the Boogey Man lurking around the dark shadows of her bedroom at age four; every raised voice and fist at age seven; every night her father came home early to being poked and prodded and injected, never knowing if the last thing she’d see was white coats and test tubes.

Fear was something the body learned to adapt to. Feel it long enough, and it becomes normalized, like the smell of coffee in the morning, or the whirl of the air conditioner. 

But this- this was something entirely different. Fear she could deal with. This was terror. The kind that paralyzes the body, and the energy invoked for screaming threatens to burst forth, no sound is made. Instead, those screams wrap around your throat and chest, strangling you with the very air that gives life.

Riley’s eyes shot open, and she found herself in a dimly lit warehouse. Her arms were chained above her head, and she was slumped against the wall. There was a burning sensation in her left arm, and when she glanced up at it, she found it bandaged up. Memories came flooding back, and Riley questioned why the Red Hood would even bother with that sort of thing.

_What the hell?_ She thought. Shouldn’t she be dead? That’s what he did to people in Black Mask’s gang. He’s the one that had been driving her father insane for the past few months as the Red Hood systematically picked off his men and dismantled her father’s empire.

“You had a tracker implanted in your arm,” Riley heard the voice from earlier explain, and within seconds she found herself face to face- or hood- with the Red Hood. “Couldn’t have Daddy following us.”

Riley remained silent and diverted her gaze. Her mind was trying to process everything. A slight tremor shook her body as he inched closer. 

“Aren’t you going to say something?” he asked, placing his hand by the side of her head as he tilted his head to the side. “No ‘thanks for saving my life’ or ‘thank God you got me out from under my father’s control’?”

Riley sighed and mustered up the courage to speak. “Right, because being held hostage by a killer is so much better.” Her voice shook, but she continued, “And you don’t have to invade my space. I’m scared of you enough as it is.”

There was no point in denying she was scared. He would see through any false show of confidence, and for all she knew, it would probably piss him off if she did that.

The Red Hood chuckled but stayed where he was, not allowing her some sense of safety or control over the situation. “When you think about it, how is it any different than your previous situation? Sure, you weren’t physically chained, but you were still tied to a maniac that kills anyone that gets in his-“

“What, and you don’t?”  She interrupted, finally meeting his gaze. Riley knew her previous situation wasn’t ideal either, but she got by.  The moment she got in her father’s way, she knew she could face the same punishment as everyone else, so she made sure to do everything right. It was familiar, and it benefited her for the moment. She would prefer that situation to the one she was currently in.

“I kill those that deserve it!” he yelled and then took a breath to compose himself. He needed this girl on his side. “I kill those that ruin the lives of innocent people.”

Riley focused her attention on her knees. The smell of gunpowder was overwhelming. _Breathe. Remember to breathe._

“Well, why haven’t you killed me? I certainly participate in it.” The words were quiet and shaky. It was the first time she vocally acknowledged the effects of her work. Before this moment, feeding those thoughts would make things difficult. It would eat away at her. 

As much as she hated it, a part of her did care for others. It was a weakness that didn’t help her follow orders. It was a part that nagged her every time she paid her bills, or bought a new pair of shoes. So, to survive, she had suppressed all of those thoughts.

“Because you’re going to help me take down Black Mask.”

Now it was Riley’s turn to laugh. Sure, she knew he was crazy, but he was making an insane assumption. “You can’t be serious. Why in the world would I help you? I benefit from him being in power. That’s like telling the leaders of Democratic Republic of the Congo to halt Chinese investment.” 

“As serious as a heart attack,” he said, pulling out one of his guns and pressing it to her temple. “You’re going to help me, and in return I won’t kill you. Plus you’d get more freedom than you’ve ever had, and the once in a lifetime chance to train and work with me. “

“Oh joy,” she muttered under her breath. She couldn’t just betray her father like that. And sure, being killed wasn’t on her to-do list, but she had protection under her father- she had a steady income and the assurance of bodyguards. Although, if he was offering to train her, maybe she wouldn’t need the bodyguards as much as she had in the past. There was still the whole income problem though.

As if he had read her mind, he added, “And, I’ll pay you twice as much as what Black Mask is giving you.”

“And I’m supposed to believe you have that kind of money?”

Without another word, the Red Hood unlocked the chains from the wall, pulled Riley up to her feet, and walked her forward, with the gun still pressed to her head, towards one of the storage rooms. The door flew open and revealed a stack of bills organized into a perfect square that filled the majority of the space in the room.

Riley shrugged him off and went to sit down on the bed of money. The Red Hood’s gun was still trained on her, but he had a feeling he wouldn’t need it anymore.

“What exactly would you need me to do?” she asked. Riley couldn’t see his face, but she was certain he was smirking at this point. His tone said it all.

“Gathering intel, taking down Black Mask’s men, doing whatever I say. You would be second in command, of course, but-“

“But I just carry out your orders for the most part,” Riley finished for him. “How do I know you won’t just kill me when it’s all said and done?”

“You don’t. Consider it an incentive to follow orders.” 

Riley shrugged and gave him a small smile. “Fair enough. That’s more than what Black Mask would give me.” She knew that even if she followed Black Mask’s orders, if he was in the mood, he would just kill her anyway. Being his daughter didn’t guarantee her much in protection from his rage. “Give me a few hours to think on it.”

The Red Hood closed the space between them quickly and pressed the gun to her forehead. Riley’s body stiffened, and she returned his glare with a look of indignation. “No, you decide right now, or this room will look like a Jackson Pollock painting when I’m done with you.”

“Oh, so you are cultured? I wasn’t sure with all the leather and combat boots and whatnot,” she teased, only to have him take the safety off the gun. “Fine. I’ll work with you.” 


	3. Chapter 3

_Confusion is a luxury which only the very, very young can possibly afford, and you are not that young anymore."_

_~James Baldwin, Giovanni's Room_

Riley couldn’t help but roll her eyes as the target for the night continued to chat her up, talking about how much money he was raking in and how he was moving up in the Black Mask’s inner circle. _Right, and that’s why you don’t recognize me._ She tugged at the bottom of her red dress in an attempt to cover more of her legs. _Leave it to a man to pick out the shortest dress_ she thought angrily.

She had tried to convince the Red Hood that she worked best in something she felt comfortable in, but he insisted she wear the strapless dress he had picked out. Riley recognized it was probably a power play, but it was still frustrating. She didn’t like being bait, and she really didn’t like the idea of having to wear a skin-tight dress around someone like their target that had a history of sexual assault.

Regardless of her current discomfort, she leaned in closer to the man that smelled like alcohol and prodded him for the information she needed. “I’m sorry, but I’ll have to see it with my own eyes.” She smirked and took a sip of her drink. “It’s not that I don’t believe you, it’s just that plenty of people lie about things like that to impress a woman like me.”

She turned her body slightly away from the man and glanced around the bar pretending to lose interest in the conversation. She could feel her temporary companion panic beside her as he fidgeted with his hands.

The house music blaring, and the entire bar was filled with cigar smoke. This would be the type of bar members of Black Mask’s gang would like. It reminded Riley of the soda joints of the 1920s with its checkered floors, jukebox, and low-hanging lights hanging over oversized booths. 

“Wrap it up. You’re losing your window,” the voice in her ear prodded. They had to get the information and dispose of him before the members of Black Mask’s gang showed up to the bar.

One thing she had picked up on within the week she had been working with him was that the Red Hood was extremely impatient when he wasn’t the only person working on his objective. He had major over-control issues- not that Riley was one to talk, but now she was on the receiving end.

“Well, it was nice talking with you,” Riley began as she finished off her drink. “Thanks for the drink-“

“I can show you our most recent shipment,” the man said as he reached out to catch her hand to keep her from leaving. “It’s not too far from here.”

She smiled and bashfully looked down at the ground before meeting his gaze. “Well, if it’s not too much trouble.” This was too easy, but then again, younger guys were always so eager to prove themselves to the world. They were still naïve enough to believe the gang they were running with was impervious to attacks.

They both left the bar and headed down a long alleyway to a small warehouse. Riley was surprised at its size. She had heard her father talking about a large shipment coming in, so she had expected the warehouse to be relatively large.

The man lead her inside with a smile on his face, proud of the fact he had actually been able to show her that he was involved in the Black Mask’s activities. Riley returned the smile, and walked towards one of the crates. “What’s in it?” she asked innocently.

“A new type of drug he’s planning on selling. Stuff’s supposedly super potent. You can provide the same kind of high for less,” the man answered as he walked over to her and threw an arm around her shoulders. “Now, how about we get out of here and find someplace more comfortable?”

It took all of Riley’s willpower to return the smile. “Sure.” 

They walked back to the club and stopped right by the guy’s motorcycle, where he offered her a helmet. Right as she reached out for the helmet, a gun went off behind her, hitting the guy in the kneecaps. The bystanders outside of the club scattered as Riley pulled him into the alleyway, where the Red Hood was waiting, leaning against the brick wall with his arms crossed.

“Took you long enough,” she muttered as she threw the guy at the Red Hood’s feet.

The guy stared up at her in disbelief. “You- you’re working with this freak?” he cried out.

She scoffed. “Right, you’re one to talk.”

The Red Hood tossed her one of the guns, and she looked down at it, trying to compose her thoughts and quiet her anxiety. She knew this man’s track record, and he certainly deserved it with how many kids he’d sold to and subsequently assaulted. It was just strange to be holding a gun to someone she would’ve aligned with a few days prior.

She knew if she wanted to gain the Red Hood’s trust, she would have to do it without question. Riley removed the safety and pulled the trigger, shooting the guy in the head.

“See, it’s not so bad,” the Red Hood commented as she knelt down beside the man and took the keys and his wallet out of his pocket.

“You’re not the one that had to spend an hour with him in some ridiculous dress.” Riley stood up and placed one hand on her hip while the other hand held up the keys to the guy’s motorcycle. “So Red, want to give me a ride back?”

He took the keys from her and mentioned, “You can call me Jason.”

She smiled and followed him to the motorcycle. Riley couldn’t help but feel like that was a sign of approval. “What are we going to do about that shipment?” she asked as she climbed on the bike behind him.

“We wait and find out more. We’re still not entirely sure what it does.”

* * *

 

The oxygen flooded back into her chest as Riley gasped for air. Pain radiated throughout her entire body, and she remained still on the floor, staring up at the cracked cement ceiling of the warehouse.

“Ow…” she groaned, as Jason appeared standing above her, offering out a hand to help her up.

“You’re leaving yourself vulnerable. You still need to decrease the area you leave open when you go on offense,” he advised, still waiting on her to take his hand and get back to work.

Riley remained glaring at the hand rather than accepting it.

“Up,” he commanded, but she still refused to move.

“Come on, we’ve been at this for three hours now. My bruises have bruises. Just give me five min-“ A swift kick to the side interrupted her plea and knocked out the breath she had managed to gather.

“We’re not done until I say we’re done. Do you think any of those psychos are going to give you a break?” Jason asked as he picked her up and flung her across the room.

Riley landed with a thud. “God dammit,” she muttered to herself as she rolled onto her stomach and surveyed the room for anything she could use to her advantage. She knew she would have to gain the upper hand on him at least once before he’d let her quit. That’s how it had been the past week they had been training together.

He had broken the bat she had found at the corner of the room, parried her knife out of her hand and into his, leaving her defenseless except for what he had taught her and what she had learned from working under the Black Mask.

Beside her was a crate with a crowbar lying beside it. Riley crawled over to pick it up, only to have a bullet narrowly miss her hand and hit the crowbar, causing it to fly out of her hands.

She spotted a lose floorboard right in front of her that they had somehow missed during their sessions. If she timed it correctly, she could use that to her advantage.

Ignoring the immense pain in her body, Riley stood up by the edge of the floorboard, waiting for him to get close enough to initiate her plan.

Jason stalked over to her with a fire in his eyes and dilated pupils, reminding Riley of a rabid dog. It was a look she had seen in her father’s eyes many times as he lost control of his anger.

There was an unstableness about Jason that she had picked up on over the course of the week she was at the warehouse that was unlike anything she had seen before- worse than the Black Mask’s even-, but she had been too afraid to push to see if her suspicions were correct. Now, however, she was certain of it.

Adrenalin pumped through her veins as Riley realized if she didn’t get this right, there would be hell to pay. Just as he reached the spot she needed him in, she stomped on the floorboard, causing the other end to jut upwards, hitting him in the face.

His hands flew up to his bloodied face, and Riley used this moment of distraction to attack. She charged at him and tried to side kick him in the stomach, only to have Jason grab a hold of her ankle and twist her to the ground.

Riley felt a sharp pain in her right shoulder as he drove his knife through her shoulder and into the ground. She screamed in pain, but the scream was cut off as he immediately wrapped his hands around her throat.

“Jason!” she croaked, trying to get him to snap out of it. His eyes didn’t seem to register anything. They were far off and glistening with fear and rage. “It’s Riley. We had a deal, remember?”

His grip became tighter, and her vision was beginning to blur. She needed to act fast. Riley’s body felt as though she was being pulled in all different directions, and a searing heat coursed through her veins.

“Please,” she mouthed, and then he was strangling a body that was identical to his.

Jason staggered back as he returned to reality. One moment, he was fighting with the Joker. The next, he was strangling his duplicate, who was now coughing and gasping for breath as blood began to pool around him.

Moments later, the duplicate transformed back into Riley. As reality sunk back in, he leapt forward towards her, crouched down next to her and pulled out a wad of gauze.

“This is going to hurt,” he warned her, but she didn’t seem to hear. Her eyes were shut and tears streamed down her face as her chest quickly rose up and down. Jason pressed a hand to Riley’s right shoulder as he yanked out the knife. With the same knife, he cut off her shirt, and then sat her upright and applied pressure to the wound with the bandage.

He noticed multiple scars along her torso and back and wondered whether or not those were all from the Black Mask. For a brief moment, Jason could sympathize. Training and working with crazed lunatics that weren’t afraid to use brute force was something he was all too familiar with. And in that moment, he wasn’t sure how different he was from some of his mentors from the League of Assassins.

“We need to get this stitched up. Can you stand?” Again, he got no reply, so he picked her up, carried her into his bathroom, and sat her on the countertop.

Jason couldn’t bear to look Riley in the eye as he applied pressure to the area to help slow down the bleeding. He had lost control in front of her and almost killed her. He hadn’t experienced a flashback that jarring for a while- at least not while he was awake. Nightmares were one thing, but the shame that came with losing touch with reality while conscious was difficult to carry.

Riley winced as he dabbed the area around the wound with a damp cloth before beginning to stitch up the open area. She wasn’t entirely sure what had happened, and that terrified her. Here was this man that was trying to kill her one moment and then trying to help her the next. It was something she had never truly experienced. Usually, the Black Mask left her to fend for herself after one of his episodes, and right now, she felt she preferred that situation to the current one. At least there was clarity on what to expect and the boundaries of the relationship.

“You want to talk about what happened?” she asked quietly, watching him closely, afraid of whether or not he’d lose his temper again. She saw him furrow his brow and shake his head.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” he said, curtly. There was no way he’d tell her he struggled with flashbacks- or even why he struggled with them. They were so disorienting, even when they had just been nightmares, that he questioned his sanity. “Now, quit squirming. You’re making this more difficult than it has to be.”

“You almost killed me,“ she stated bluntly, only to receive a more forceful stab with the needle as Jason continued stitching her up.

“’Almost’ being the key word.”

“Well, I’d like for that to not happen again,” Riley stated and sighed. She could feel her temper rising to the surface, but tried to suppress it. “So, since we’re partners, I’d like to know what happened.”

Jason stopped what he was doing and glared up at her. “Do you want to do this yourself?” Riley shook her head and remained silent as he finished the last few stitches.

The pair remained silent as he wrapped a bandage around her shoulder, but as he turned to leave, he heard Riley say, “I know you didn’t mean to do it.”

That was the truth. As she was processing everything that happened, she recalled the fear in his eyes when he realized what had happened. The speed with which he began helping her was something unfamiliar. She had never experienced that sense of urgency from another person before.

He paused for a moment, contemplating whether or not he should say anything, and then left the room without saying anything. 


	4. Chapter 4

_"How can you trust a man whose eyes can go from green to gone in a single night?"_

_~Miles Hodges, "Maskless"_

“Bruce, I’ve found some information about the woman working with Jason,” Barbara announced over the com-link. “I’m sending it to you now.”

The batcomputer displayed a picture of a younger girl, probably in her teens, and notes Barbara had taken down along with the sources she’d compiled.

He stared at the picture, which showed the girl on a stage with a microphone. Her hair, despite her efforts to pin it down slightly, seemed to have a life of its own as the short curls spiraled in every direction, and she was frozen in time as the picture caught her in an animated gesture.

“She goes by the name of Riley. Her mother was a dancer from Haiti, but I’m still trying to figure out who her father is. It says here that her mother was murdered, but the police were unable to track down the killer.”

The screen switched over to another picture of Riley, who was wearing sunglasses in an attempt to hide a black eye. “She’s apparently a con-artist that works closely with Black Mask- she’s probably done everything she can to stay as low profile as she can, since it was difficult to find any information relating to her. She’s good, Bruce.”

He recalled a conversation he overheard a while ago between Two-Face’s thugs about a girl working for Black Mask that had ripped Two-Face off on a deal over bank codes, which were in fact a string of numbers to detonate a bomb. Two-Face had lost out on two million dollars and had to replace ten of his men. He hadn’t given it much thought at the time. Gotham’s rival factions were always sabotaging each other. Now, however, he wondered if the girl was Riley, and if there were any other subtle hints of her involvement in the crime world.

Still, it wasn’t clear why Jason would recruit her. It didn’t line up with his previous actions of violence, specifically targeted at dismantling Black Mask’s territory. Bruce removed the cowl and began massaging his temples. “That still doesn’t explain why she’s working with Jason. He should’ve killed her by now.”

It didn’t make sense to him. What made Riley different from the others that worked with Black Mask? Jason didn’t hesitate killing them off. There was something they were missing, and if Jason could find it, so could they.

“Hold on, I’ve found something else.”

Barbara switched his screen to the video footage she had just uncovered. Riley was on an operating table with her arms and legs strapped down to prevent them from moving.

Standing in the corner partially hidden by shadows was the Black Mask, who looked on with interest.

An elderly man in a white coat turned to face the camera. _‘Subject 57821is still incapacitated from the last round of radiation exposure, but her vitals are back to normal_.’ The scientist pulled forward a machine that was in the shape of an arch, with three rows of needles protruding from its underside.

_‘We have reached the final stage in this tedious experiment. We will inject the formula I’ve developed, which should interact with the high levels of radiation and allow the subject to change states of being once coming into contact with the human she desires to duplicate.’_  He turned slightly away from the camera to address the Black Mask. _‘Shall we begin?’_

The Black Mask waved him on impatiently, and as if lightening had zapped him, the scientist picked up his pace as he pushed the machine towards Riley.

Bruce and Oracle watched as the needles plunged into Riley’s chest. Her body shook violently and began to glow slightly as her body processed the chemicals.

Without warning, she sat up, yanking the straps with her, and tossed the machine off to the side, only to have the needles still attached to her chest. Riley’s gaze found the scientist, and she lunged towards him with her arms outreached to strangle him. Before she could reach him, the Black Mask stepped out of the shadows with a gun and shot Riley in the leg, causing her to collapse to the ground, but not before turning into the scientist’s duplicate.

The video cut out, and Bruce leaned back in his chair as he continued staring at the blank screen.

“Keep looking for information, and send all of this to Dick.” Batman ordered. “Let’s keep an eye on Jason and try to find out what he’s planning.”

* * *

 

Riley hadn’t heard anything from Jason for the next three days after he had attacked her. While she understood the shame he was probably feeling after losing control in front of her, she was slightly annoyed that she didn’t have anything to do. He was supposed to be training her, and she was supposed to be helping him take out the Black Mask. His inaction resulted in her not getting paid for that week, and while she briefly considered backing out of the deal, she knew she’d be killed if she did.

What bothered her most was that she knew he had been out working and gathering more intelligence as to what the Black Mask was planning. If he was going to threaten her into working with him, the least he could do was bring her along.

Ego was the thing at stake for both of them. He was trying to save face after losing grips with reality in front of someone, and Riley was trying to prove she was just as good as he was, even if she didn’t measure up to him in fighting. It was a monster that kept people at a distance from one another for fear of losing the impossible façade they created, but in the end, people always wind up with egg on their face.

Relationships, or partnerships of any kind relied on mutual trust and understanding, and the problem with ego is it makes anyone doubt themselves and others. It works its way from the core outward, and can’t be contained by the boundaries of a body. In the end, everything crumbles in its wake if it isn’t confronted.

And while Riley understood this conceptually, she could never admit it applied to her; could never see the ways in which it manifested in her rage towards those that seemed to underestimate her- as her father had- as Jason appeared to be doing now.

Sure, it was ego that kept him away, but she also took her lack of involvement as a slight to her abilities. How could he want to work with her one moment, and then leave her behind the next?

Restless and annoyed, she changed out of her workout clothes and into grey jeans with a pair of heals to match and a white t-shirt. She was going out whether Jason liked it or not. She was stir-crazy and craving human interaction.

She quickly jotted down the address of the place she was going so that he wouldn’t become suspicious of her absence and posted it on the rickety door of his makeshift bedroom. Riley grabbed the red blazer that was draped over the chair before leaving the warehouse.

Riley was surprised to find it wasn’t raining that night. She almost missed the way the city glistened, but it was a relief to not have to avoid puddles or worry about her hair getting wet.

Across the street from the warehouse was a lone payphone. It was strange to see one of those nowadays, but seeing as her cellphone had disappeared- no doubt thanks to Jason- she welcomed the site as she entered in it and dialed a number she knew by heart.

After a few rings, a familiar voice answered the call, “Hello?”

“Sam! How’s it going?”

“Leigh!” She couldn’t help but smile at the tenor in her friend’s voice and the name she almost forgot she went by in that social sphere. “Where’ve you been? We all miss you!”

She couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt. She had been absent for almost six months, but it was the price she had to pay for living two lives. “Oh, you know, around,” she laughed nervously. “Anyways, I was calling to see if y’all were still having a showcase tonight?”

“Of course! You in?”

Riley hesitated for a moment, as fear started to bubble up in her chest as she wondered if this was okay. Would Jason punish her for being in public? She pushed it down. _Not like he’s talking to me anyway_ she thought before answering, “Yeah, if you have space.”

“Shoot, we always have space for you. I’ll let everyone know you’re coming. They’ll be pumped.”

With that, she hung up the phone and proceeded to walk a few blocks to catch the train to get to where she needed to be.

The train ride there was a short and quiet one for once. There were a total of three other people in the car she was in, and she made sure to keep her face down just in case any of them recognized her. Riley figured her father would be sending out a few of his men to find her.

Yes, it was risky to be out in public alone, but there wasn’t a situation Riley couldn’t talk herself out of. Already, she had developed three separate stories in case she ran into her father’s men. Not that she was worried about it tonight. She remembered her father had some shipment coming in that night, so his men were bound to be in that particular area rather than looking for her, and she figured that’s where Jason would be as well.

The train came to her stop with a screeching halt that jolted the passengers forward, and as she exited and looked all around her, she couldn’t help but smile. Outside of the cathedral she frequented, this was the only other place she felt at home. The one place she could actually speak the truth and be healed from all of her past, present and future mistakes, even if she was there under a false name.

The nights she spent at the bar that housed so many of her friends through her high school and college years were etched onto her mind. They were nights that she felt heroic; that despite all of the crimes she had committed, her words atoned her actions. It was a place she felt she had control and power over people to inspire them to do better, even if she couldn’t do so herself.

As she entered the bar, she was immediately greeted with a suffocating hug from Sam, who hadn’t changed a bit since she had last seen him. Despite his relatively small size, he picked her up with ease and spun her around before she was passed off down through the small crowd of familiar faces, and although her injured shoulder screamed out in pain, she couldn’t help but smile through the tears.

Her friend group ushered her up to the bar and bought her a drink before dispersing through the sea of unfamiliar faces around the stage at various points to support their cohorts as they spoke their truths through words and rhythm that shook the crowd to its core.  

Sam stayed behind with Riley at the bar. “How’ve you been?” he asked over the cheers of the crowd as another person took the stage. “It’s been a while.”

Riley shrugged and smirked. “I’ve been busy with life. You know me, always on the go.”

“C’mon, what have you really been up to? You too cool to hang around us anymore?” He raised an eyebrow at her and lightly punched her in the shoulder, causing her to wince. “Jesus, Leigh, I didn’t hit you that hard.”

His playful demeanor quickly shifted to one of brotherly concern. “Did he hurt you again?” Sam and the rest of her friend group weren’t aware she was Roman Sionis’s daughter, but they knew there was a history of abuse in the family.

She shook her head and gave him a small smile. “No, no. I haven’t actually seen him in about two weeks.” That wasn’t a lie. “I just got mugged the other day, and the bastard stabbed me in the shoulder.”

While it was a lie, it wasn’t unheard of in Gotham. Muggings tended to become violent, so Sam believed that story. “You need to be more careful.”

“I know, I know,” she waved him off. “I got lazy, that’s all.” Riley tilted her head to the side as her grew smaller. “I’ve missed you guys.”

“We’ve missed you too,” he replied and gave her another hug. “Now, get ready. You’re going up next. Know what you’re going to do?”

Riley smiled and downed the rest of her drink. “Yup. One of your favorites.”

He clapped her on the back, careful not to hit the side that was injured, before grabbing her hand and going up to the stage.

The duo ahead of her finished up their spoken word and stayed on stage, as Sam hopped up and grabbed the microphone. The crowd cheered, most of them being admirers of his. He put his hands up to quiet them.

“Our next poet is someone near and dear to my heart,” he turned and motioned for her to get up on the stage. “She’s been with this group from the beginning, but took a break for a while, and we are pleased to have her here tonight. Show her some love, y’all. Please welcome Leigh Williams.”

The group cleared the stage as she stepped up to the microphone. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach, and she welcomed the nervous adrenalin that only came when facing a large group of people and bearing your soul to them. How had she left this behind?

“You still cute as hell,” someone in the crowd yelled, and Riley smiled even brighter. She wasn’t entirely forgotten from this place.

Riley paused and took a deep breath as she scanned the room and centered herself.

_'Mama keep asking me if I'm sure I wanted Joanne to cut my hair this short, and I know she thinking somewhere in a pot bubbling over with motherly expectations why her pretty long haired daughter went all wacky up there with those white people and trees._

_'And I cannot tell her that I slept so long in the chest of a linebacker that when he didn't ask me back one night, I forgot my breast and birthright and remember all the ugly things Cole Garrison called my poor flat-chested body under the guard of my limp and lackluster lip in the fucking fourth grade...'_

* * *

 

Dick Grayson entered the dark club, filled with people crowded around the stage. The dim light cast a purplish glow on the performer on the stage, which he immediately recognized as the woman he was looking for. _  
_

' _... Mommy, I did not make a mistake in asking Joanne to cut my hair this short, it was a falling out between me and Mother Mary. She wondering why I had stopped calling on her boy, since we had been getting along so well and all. Me, don't really have the guts to get down on my knees and pray, because it all feels so familiar anyways...'_

Dick headed over to the bar and ordered a drink as he sat down on the barstool. He was a bit annoyed that Bruce had sent him here to observe someone that may or may not be a potential adversary. He’d rather be back in Blüdhaven doing actual work. At least the girl was cute.

_‘It is morning and someone is crying in the bathroom floor again about last night. Is it me? No. I am here. Under these sheets. Trying to stay bubblegum-tied at these seams. How is that in the bathroom, crying on the floor again? Ripping at the walls again. And all the shadows of him making a mess out of her head again, is it me? I must've really broke his heart if he's still here, not going away. What a monster of a memory...'_

He took note in the change in her appearance from the photos and the video he was sent. She was slightly older now. He had half expected her to seem unstable, but the woman on the stage was graceful and articulate. She expressed herself clearly, and she clearly captivated the crowd.

He couldn’t help but smile at the ‘yes’s’ and ‘mmm’s he heard around the room. The bartender handed him his drink, and a young woman, just barely 18 sidled up next to him. He gave her a wink and put his arm around her as they both watched. There were some things he couldn’t help, especially when he felt the weight of being alone, like he did at the moment. Maybe it was good Bruce sent him here.

_‘... And got your got and get and left you with, and, and but conjunctions. So everything you write sounds like the middle, and got your beginning, and damn sure got your end tucked somewhere...'_

Riley’s eyes briefly met his gaze and he gave her a charming smile, only to have her roll her eyes at him. He took a sip of his drink and continued to look around the room. As far as he could tell, no one here worked for the Black Mask, or Jason. They were everyday people of Gotham city, so why would Riley be here if she was indeed working with Jason? According to Oracle, there was something big going down tonight.

It was then that he noticed the slight hesitation in the way she moved her body. She was injured. It wasn’t too noticeable. He doubted anyone could tell. He began to wonder if that was why she wasn’t with Jason at the moment.

_‘… What buttery spit, what sadity bitch done stole your shit and ain't impressed by the hiccup dance that you practice day in and day outside, inside, a monster's got your inside parts. Your breathing organs and trembling flesh...'_

The girl he had been standing with waved at some friends and made a move to leave, but not before giving him a napkin with her number on it. As she turned her back, he rolled his eyes and shook his head. He almost missed being that young.

* * *

 

' _... Shit! Did you love him all the self out of you? All the sense out of you? All the syrup off your waffles, all the crisp off your chicken? And now you're left alone, aren't you? Damn near bald. Shaking like a crack-head in the bathroom stall. Is it me? No. I am here. Under these sheets. Trying to stay bubblegum tied at these seams.'_

Sam helped Riley off the stage and clapped her on the back as the crowd continued to cheer. The next poet got up on stage, and the room quieted down to hear her piece.

“I’m getting another drink,” she told him and her friends before pushing her way to the bar, where she grabbed a list of the specials for the night and figured out what she wanted.

“May I buy you a drink?” Riley turned around to see the man that had come in late during her piece. He was much taller than she realized, and she couldn’t help but smirk as she met his gaze. Why was Bruce Wayne’s adopted son here? Riley always assumed they were too clean for this part of the city.

She nodded and was surprised to find he ordered her usual drink. Riley distanced herself slightly. “So, jailbait left you high and dry?” Riley pointed out as she turned slightly away from him.

He scoffed as he leaned against the bar and ran his fingers through his dark hair. “She was at least 18.”

Riley rolled her eyes and then tried to catch Sam’s gaze to call him over to her, but he was too enthralled with the performance to notice her. “Oh, and that’s so much better.” She turned so she was facing him fully now. “Why is it guys always go for girls that are so much younger than them?”

“Well, I’m buying you a drink, aren’t I? You can’t be too much younger than me. We’re at least both old enough to drink.”

Riley couldn’t help but laugh. She wasn’t at all surprised. They playboy mentality must be a requisite to be part of the Wayne family. “What makes you think you’re my type?”

The bartender handed her the drink, which she happily accepted. “Because I have many leather-bound books, and my apartment smells of rich mahogany.” He managed to get a genuine laugh from that reference.

“Ah, a man after my own heart,” she joked, placing a hand over her heart.

He offered out his hand. “I’m Richard Gray-“

“I know who you are,” she said, cutting him off. “Everyone in Gotham knows who you are.” She then took his hand and shook it. “Leigh Williams.” Riley made sure to give him her fake name. At this point, she couldn’t risk anyone finding out who she was if she could help it.

“So, I'm guessing that was an old poem, since you aren't- what was it? 'Damn near bald'?"

"Wow, you're awfully astute."

"And your mother is happy now that you have your hair back?”

Riley waved him off. "Oh, no. She's dead." He had an apologetic look on his face and was about to say something, so she cut him off. "Don't worry. She died when I was young. I was just taking creative liberties."

"Well, I'm still sorry to hear that." Dick smiled and reached out to take a sip of her drink, only to have her slap his hand away.

“Hey now, this is mine.” She teased. “Get your own.” She turned away from him to watch the show. 

Dick laughed and shook his head. “I am the one that bought it.”

“Not my fault. That was your decision.”

Riley tried to make her quips short and sweet to get him to leave her alone, but he either didn’t take the hint, or knew exactly what she was doing and chose to ignore it.

“So, do all poets write about love?”

She turned her head and gave him a look that made him feel ridiculous for asking that question.

“You clearly haven’t heard much spoken word.”

He shrugged and nodded. “This is my first time at one of these things.”

Riley appreciated his honesty. Most guys that were clueless tried to hide the fact. She briefly considered entertaining him a bit longer, and turned back to him, grinning. “Well, a lot of the time we address social issues since we feel as artists, we have the responsibility to shed light one reality. It’s our way to fight injustice. Sure, we talk about relationships and other heartaches, but we still try to appeal to people’s humanity.”

Dick was a bit surprised. If Riley was working with Jason, who brought about change through violence, why would she be here promoting a peaceful route? He was just as confused as Bruce at this point. He could understand at first why she would work with Jason as a way to seek revenge against everything the Black Mask did to her, but this duality seemed strange- at least in terms of Jason’s reasoning in teaming up with her.

“I’ll definitely check out more of them then,” he replied. “So, what made you choose this way of fighting instead of some other action?”

Riley narrowed her eyes, becoming suspicious of him and his probing. She could always tell when people were digging around for information. Luckily, before her tongue got the best of her, she felt arms snake around her waist and a head resting on her good shoulder. Sam had finally come to her rescue. 

She noticed Dick tense up, and she turned to look at Sam, but instead found herself staring at Jason. “Hey babe,” Jason said, smirking and glaring at Dick as he kissed her cheek. Riley tried not to tense up and shake him off, and instead mustered all of her willpower to play along. “You were great up there.”

Fear bubbled up as she recognized the cool, dangerous tone in his voice. “You saw it? I thought you wouldn’t show,” she replied as she reached her hand up to touch his cheek and hold him at her shoulder. Riley felt small as she recognized this as another power play- another reminder that she wasn’t truly her own person anymore. Why’d he have to show up now? Sure, she had left the address on the table, but she never expected him to come after her.

“I finished up work early,” he explained. “I wasn’t aware you two knew each other.” He never took his eyes off Dick, whose fists were clenched.

“We just met,” she muttered and held her chin high, trying to remain strong. “Jason, this is Richard. Richard this is-“

“We’ve met,” Dick said, cutting her off. The charming demeanor had completely disappeared.

“Yeah, we go way back.” Jason came to her side and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Riley glanced back and saw Sam making his way towards them. She shook her head, and he paused, raising an eyebrow. “C’mon, let’s go,” Jason ordered, and she turned her attention back to him, still worried that Sam would come up and confront them.

She lowered her head slightly as she allowed Jason to lead her out of the bar, but not before shooting Sam an apologetic look.

Once outside, Jason yanked her forward so that she stumbled over her heels. “You shouldn’t put yourself in the spotlight. Why’d you come here?”

“Why’d you leave me behind?” she shouted back, straightening back up as she poked him in the chest. “Why have you been avoiding me like some little coward?”

He clenched his jaw and pointed his finger. “I’m the one that demands answers. Not you.”

“Well, if we’re going to be a team, it needs to be a two way street. I will not be kept in the dark.”

 “Let’s get one thing clear here,” he warned as he showed her one of his guns he had tucked away in his leather jacket. “We are not a team. Don’t even begin to believe this is a level playing field. You work for me. I give the orders, you follow them. Got that?”

Riley nodded, and they headed back to the warehouse in silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The poem used is not mine. I'm not that talented with poetry. The poem I used is called "Waffles" by Zora Howard. Y'all should check it out on youtube. She is incredible. I left out bits and pieces of the full spoken word for the sake of flow and whatnot.


	5. Chapter 5

_"Allegiance, after all, has to work two ways; and one can grow weary of an allegiance which is not reciprocal."_

_~James Baldwin, Nobody Knows My Name_

 

The night was unusually clear and quiet- which Jason was thankful for. It would require him to be more cautious and skillful- not that he usually wasn't, but it would keep his mind occupied.

Since he had stabbed Riley, and subsequently yelled at her for being out in public, Jason had been trying to keep his mind busy and his interactions with Riley limited by occupying himself with gathering intelligence and systematically picking off Black Mask's men.

It was cathartic. He channeled all of his rage into his work, and it produced results, even if his former mentor disapproved. This was his way of curing the city of its disease, and rather than having them break out of prison, like they did whenever Batman put them there, he killed them, never giving them a chance to return to reeking havoc on Gotham. That was true justice.

Was Riley supposed to be helping him? Yes, but she was injured and would only slow him down. Besides, he wasn't sure if he could trust her yet. Sure, she had verbally agreed to help him and did take out one of her former partners, but that could be an act. She was a con artist after all. He had studied her long enough to know how dangerous trusting her could be.

Jason grappled across the gap between the building he was on to the roof of warehouse that several of Black Mask's men were patrolling. He flew from one man to the next, as effortlessly as breathing, taking them out within seconds of each other. They never stood a chance, and he almost felt sorry for them- almost.

From there, he entered the ventilation shaft and slid down to the level he needed and crawled through the cramped, muggy tunnels that made him question why villains always chose the run-down warehouses.

Not that he was complaining. Just observing. It brought out the excitement he felt as a kid, first playing make-believe that he was a hero, and then again when he first became Robin. It was a giddiness he had long forgotten and had been unable to access until he went out at night. His childhood and teenage years- the ones he had at least- had been traumatic, but the pride brought on by saving the city- his city- rescued him from a broken mind. It was something he could thank Talia and Ducra for.

As he drew closer to the muffled voices, he paused to listen, brushing off the cobwebs that had collected on his hood and shoulders. "The payment checks out," he could hear one of the lackeys say before another voice spoke.

"Ms. Larson, we have a deal. Now repeat the plan- I won't be held responsible for this should you make a mistake." Black Mask's assistant was running the deal. Jason had to hand it to him, Black Mask was wise enough to lay low for the time being.

"Sell this, track the users, record the results, and then take them out and make it look like an accident," the woman relied, her voice was raspy, but it sounded familiar.

As he hear the sound of heels clacking away, Jason pressed a device that shut out the lights, and he swung to the rafters, pausing momentarily to survey his surrounds and chose a plan of attack.

Shouts erupted from the men below as he watched them scramble around for a moment before jumping into to the fray.

Several of the men shot their guns at nothing in particular, not even coming close to hitting him.

"You all need to work on your aim," he commented as he shot another man in the back. The men in the area shot in the direction his voice came from. The room lit up with brief bursts of light as the men discharged their bullets.

"You'll have to be faster than that." The men looked on in horror as the Red Hood toom them each down with ease. Each snap of the neck and bullet to the chest seemed to drown out everything else in the room and accented each burst of light with a  _crack_  and then a  _thud_ , until only Mr. Li and Ms. Larson were left.

As he turned to face them, he felt a sharp pain in his leg, which caused him to stumble briefly, but within moments he had Mr. Li disarmed. Jason yanked him up by the collar so that he could look him directly in the eye. "Tell Black Mask I said hello," Jason commented, and with that, he head-butted Mr. Li and let the man fall to the floor, unconscious.

Jason spun towards the woman and aimed the dual pistols at her, only to find her smirking. Why was she smirking? "What is Black Mask planning?"

The woman held up her perfectly manicured hands. "Relax," she cooed, and before he could blink, a bespectacled Riley was standing before him. "I think my way was a little more subtle."

Jason lowered his gun, chuckling. "Yeah, but I had more fun. Now, what are you doing here?" Though he couldn't make out her eyes in the shadows, he was certain she rolled them.

"What you're supposed to be paying me to do. Since you wouldn't give me any direction and won't let me out in public just to have fun, I figured I'd just have to take things into my own hands."

"Good work."

Riley stared at him in disbelief, still waiting to be reprimanded for acting independently. "Wait," she stepped forward so that she was fully immersed in the moonlight. "You're not going to give me some lecture?"

"No, you did what I would've done, and therefore I can't get mad at you for that." Jason was somewhat annoyed that she showed up when he was doing this to forget her momentarily, but at the same time, he was pleased. This was the woman he needed- this was the spirit he had seen.

She was starting to live up to what he suspected. Not a belligerent nuisance, but a competent and willful partner that took initiative. Now, they could truly start working together. Truth was, he had left her alone and unchained to see what she would do; to see if her loyalty to her father was purely monetary. It still didn't mean he trusted her, but it was a promising sign.

Jason noticed her gaze wander down to his leg. "You're hurt," she said, absently. Her eyes seemed to glaze over as she walked closer to him. "Let's get you back."

He allowed her to help him out of the warehouse and to the car he assumed she stole. She left him at the passenger side as she went towards the trunk and opened it, exchanging the duffle bag of the substance Li gave her for a body of the woman she had impersonated. A trail of blood ran down the dead woman's cheek from the wound at her temple and stained Riley's grey blazer.

"I'm going to bring her to the warehouse to avoid any suspicion. My father would've checked up on her if she had disappeared from the scene."

* * *

"You're surprisingly decent at that," Jason commented as he took another swig from the bottle of whiskey they picked up on the way back to the warehouse. Riley had pulled out the bullet from where he was shot and was stitching it up while he sat on the kitchen table.

Her jaw tensed slightly as she muttered, "I've had lots of practice." She paused and sat back in the chair, lifting her shirt so he could so her lower abdomen. A faint scar marked the area just above her left hip. "That was from the first time Roman used me as target practice." She let her shirt fall back down as she went to finish stitching him up. "I did a horrible job stitching that one up. It took forever to heal."

"How old were you then?" His voice seemed hesitant.

"I was nine." The snipping of scissors punctuated the end of her sentence. She snatched the bottle out of his hands and took a sip before she began wrapping the area above his knee with a bandage. "I screwed up a delivery and got the client caught by Batman."

Silence fell between the pair, and Riley got up to wash her hands before grabbing the box of day-old pizza out of the refrigerator.

"I had a shitty father, too."

His voice was so quiet that she wasn't sure if he had actually said anything, or if it was the wind making the roof quiver again. "Had?"

Jason paused for a moment to consider which father he was talking about? He shook slightly with pain and anger as he thought about Bruce and how he had abandoned Jason- how he refused to avenge his death. No. Bruce wasn't his father anymore.

"He died a while ago in prison," Jason clarified after taking another drink. Riley sat on the table beside him and offered him a slice. "In all fairness, he didn't know any better. All of his common sense left him when he picked up a bottle."

Riley kept her eyes on the bottle that seemed to tremble slightly. She sighed and took the bottle in her hands, which Jason appreciated even if he didn't acknowledge it. She took another drink and then hugged the bottle to her chest. "What about your mom?"

"She died, too." He left it at that, and she took it as a sign to stop prying into that area of his life.

"My mom died as well. I get how hard it is," she offered and placed a hand on his knee, before laughing and sighing. "Aren't we a bunch of clichés? Getting trashed and sharing things about ourselves." Riley's eyes met his and they both chuckled as she kicked her legs back and forth like a child.

"I was going to say the same thing."

Silence consumed them once more. They alternated drinking from the bottle and finished up the rest of the pizza. They were down to the last eighth of a bottle before Jason broke the silence with another question. "Why have you stuck by your father after everything he's done to you?"

Riley wasn't exactly sure how to answer that. The part of her that was whiskey-soaked told her to tell him the truth, but her rational mind told her not to answer the question. She tossed her head back and threw her hands over her face in an attempt to ground her mind.

Relationships laden with abuse were particularly tricky to explain, but if the brief glimpse into his family told her anything, Jason could understand that rocky terrain. How could you love and stay with someone that caused so much pain? And Riley wanted to love her father. She had convinced herself she loved her father, because he gave her everything. He taught her everything. She was told time and time again that parents love their children, no matter what. They're just not good at showing it all the time.

But then there was a part of her that knew that wasn't an excuse. Abuse was abuse, not a misunderstood love. It was trauma; it was secrecy. It was the flinch at every raised voice or fist. The fear of abandonment after every argument. Yes, she was a strong person, but not because of her father, but because she overcame everything in spite of what he did to her.

Those two warring giants made it impossible for her to rationalize any definite feeling about Roman Sionis. All feelings in between duty and hate scattered like refugees, scrambling on rafts of the subconscious, just beneath the surface of realization.

So, she settled for relying on his past to answer his own question. "The same reason why you still refer to your father as such instead of severing all ties to him, despite all of the awful things he did to your family."

Riley hopped off the table. "I'll analyze the drugs tomorrow to see what we're up against," she slurred and stumbled out of the kitchen, leaving Jason alone with his thoughts. He was all too familiar with the war going on inside her head. He was dealing with the same war. If he wanted her loyalty, he would have to prove to her that Roman Sionis only saw her as a pawn in his game.


	6. Chapter 6

_"Like any artist without a form, she became dangerous."_

_~Toni Morrison, Sula_

_The light faded from her mother’s eyes as Riley drowned in the blood pooling around them. She had never seen death before, but she was certain this was what it was, and she was certain she never wanted this. The eyes she found so much love and beauty in were gone. The eyes that were usually glistening and full of joy, even when correcting Riley, were now dull, hollow shells with no trace left of their former identity._

_Tears rolled down Riley’s cheeks as she stared down at her hands, limp soaked in blood. Riley shook her head. They couldn’t be her hands. They were too red to be her hands; too cold and menacing to be her hands. Frantically, she wiped her hands on her jeans, but the blood remained. In a fit of terror she continuously wiped her hands off on her pants and shirt in a useless attempt to clean off the blood that just seemed to appear out of thin air. She kept at it until she felt someone grip her arm and hoist her up._

“Riley,” someone was gently shaking her. “Riley, wake up. You’re just dreaming.”

Riley bolted upright, hitting her head against Jason’s as she did so. She felt her heartbeat pounding throughout her entire body as she looked at her surroundings and then finally at Jason, who was rubbing the spot on his forehead where her head had collided with his.

“Where was that when we were training? He joked in an attempt to lighten the mood. Riley drew her knees in to her chest as she quickly averted her eyes. She shrunk away from him, and he got the impression that she was embarrassed and still frightened from the nightmare. Jason was careful not to make any sudden movements, as he was well aware she was still trying to return to reality. He knew that period of disassociation all too well. Knowing he never wanted to divulge the details to another person in order to process through them, he gave her the courtesy of not prying, partly out of empathy, and partly so that she would begin to feel comfortable around him and trust him. He needed her trust and loyalty in order to follow through with his plans, and he figured one way to do that was to let her open up when she felt ready to do so. Prying only pushed people away.

Instead of prying, he offered a suggestion- something he would do to bring him back to reality after particularly troubling and vivid nightmares. “I was just about to head out to this one diner that serves the best waffles. Want to join?”

Riley still refused to meet his gaze. “It’s the middle of the night.”

“There’s never a bad time for waffles.” He sat down on the edge of the cot and offered, “I’ll even pay. All you have to do is eat.”

She was silent for a moment before she nodded and finally looked up at him. “I guess I can go if I don’t have to pay,” she replied flatly, but he could see the glossy, far-off look in her eyes begin to fade.

Once at the diner, Riley realized what Jason was doing this for her, and she was thankful he didn’t pry or give her a lecture about the necessity of dealing with previous traumas like Rachel always seemed to do. The diner itself was run down and empty for the most part, except for the two elderly men sitting at the bar near the entrance to the kitchen, drinking coffee and arguing about local politicians and the state of the economy.

The pair grabbed a booth near the back of the restaurant, far away from windows where Riley could be easily spotted by Black Mask’s men, who were surely out in this part of Gotham at that particular time at night. As an added precaution, despite having her hair wrapped- since it was too time consuming to go through that whole process twice in one night- wore a navy blue hooded sweatshirt with the hood pulled over the top of her head. The multiple layers on her head gave it an oblong, almost alien, shape.

“Jay! Good to see you again!” the middle-aged waitress exclaimed as she sauntered up to the booth. Her blonde, curly hair was fighting against the hair tie, wanting to be free from its bondage. Her icy blue eyes were framed with harsh, smudged black lines that attempted to distract from the lines etched on her face.

“Fannie! It’s been a while. How’s life?” Riley had to do a double take. Was Jason actually being friendly with someone? She carefully studied his face for any trace of an act, but failed to find anything.

“Same as always. The two brats finally started school, so I can actually have a few hours of peace.” She glanced over at Riley. “I see you’ve brought a friend with you! I thought you were incapable of that.”

_So did I_ Riley thought as she felt the corners of her mouth tug into a polite smile. She was still slightly absent from her body. It was all she could force herself to do. Luckily, Jason replied for her at this time, recognizing her struggle.

“This is Leigh.” He used the fake name she gave to everyone, giving her the sense that while Fannie was someone he was familiar with, he was still hesitant to fully entrust her with Riley’s actual name.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Fannie replied with a genuine smile, which Riley returned with a slight nod. “I already know Jason’s order, but what can I get you?”

“I’ll have whatever he’s having.” Her voice still sounded foreign to her.

Fannie left them to place their orders, and Jason picked up the conversation. “My mother used to bring me here as a kid. After she died, and Bruce took me in, I rarely came here-“

“You lived with Bruce Wayne?” she asked, somewhat shocked by that bit of information. He didn’t seem like the type Bruce would take in. The idea of a stubborn, rebellious Jason in Wayne manor made her laugh. “How’d you swing that? No offense, but you seem a little rough for Wayne.”

Bit by bit, Jason watched as she became more relaxed, and couldn’t help but smile at her laugh, which seemed other worldly as the other two customers turned to look at her. “Mutual acquaintances. I tried stealing the tires off of the Batmobile-“

Once again, Riley broke out into a fit of laughter, which shook her entire body this time. “You did not!” She wiped a tear from her eye. “And how exactly did that work out for you?”

Jason shrugged. “Batman caught me. Next thing I know, I’m in contact with Bruce Wayne. For some odd reason, he has a thing for taking in strays.” He decided not to go into further detail.

“And that’s how you know Dick?” Riley observed the brief break in his rare, content demeanor. She could tell back at the bar that Jason wasn’t a fan of him just by his tone, and the emotions on display currently just confirmed it.

He nodded. “He was out of the house by then, but yeah.”

Rather than make Jason feel more irritated- especially since he was the one paying and being nice for once- she changed the subject. “The food must’ve been pretty great. I bet Wayne could afford the high quality stuff and has a bunch of world class chefs…” Her mind went wild with the possibilities. Despite having a rich father, she was never given the luxury of good food. She had to fend for herself since he was too focused on building his empire.

“His butler did most of the cooking. He’s great at making most things, but waffles. It had the taste and inner consistency of paste.”

“And you’re familiar with the taste of paste? What is it with you and your waffle obsession?” she asked, poking fun at him for his fixation on waffles that was now becoming visible to her.

“They’re delicious! What is it with you even questioning it?”

Riley giggled and placed her hand over her heart. “I’m not saying I don’t love waffles, it’s just I’ve never seen you this hyped about something before.”

Jason shrugged and smiled down at the plate that suddenly appeared before him. “Just try these, and you’ll understand.”

She rolled her eyes and took a bite of the mound of waffles in front of her. Despite how dense they appeared, the waffle was light and fluffy in her mouth, and seemed to dissolve onto her taste buds. “Point taken.”

They ate in silence, both focused on the meal before them- both unsure of what to say. Riley felt obligated to keep the conversation going, but she didn’t have anything to say that would give too much away about her. She didn’t even know how much he knew about her, and that scared her. Was he just being nice to win her over and use her? Or was he genuinely trying to help her deal with the aftermath of her nightmares?

As if he could read her mind, Jason met her uneasy glance with a hesitant smile and said, “I’m not trying to manipulate you or anything, I just know what it’s like to deal with reoccurring nightmares-“

“They’re not reoccur-“

“I’ve heard you every night.” Riley remained quiet as he continued. “I struggle with them too.”

Her face softened as he admitted it. It made sense that he had experienced trauma. His erratic behavior and their previous encounter with a knife clued her in somewhat. It was always hard to admit to yourself, let alone another person, that you struggled with deciphering reality at times. “Don’t get used to this though,” he muttered gruffly and took a bite of what little remained of the waffles. The moment of peace between them vanished. “And if you ever bring this up, our last training session will seem like heaven compared to what I’ll put you through.”

_Sure, lash out at the person you were vulnerable with…_ She thought, stabbing the last section of waffle on her plate. She should’ve known the past few hours between them would only last so long. They were partners forced together by circumstance- or rather he forced her to work for him because she was an insider. If either had their way, they’d be working alone.

* * *

 

As they drove away from the diner on the motorcycle they had acquired from their previous target, they failed to notice a black car trailing three car lengths behind them until they took a left turn towards the river.

“Jason,” she yelled above the sound of the engine.

“I noticed. Hold on.”

They sped through the cars ahead of them and took the bridge over to Gotham’s east side. Riley held tightly on to Jason as the black car appeared out of nowhere. Gunshots rang out, causing Jason to swerve about in an attempt to dodge them.

“Reach inside my jacket and grab my gun,” Jason ordered as he took a sharp turn. She did as she was told, and then began firing back at the car that was pursuing them. They exchanged fire for a bit before both the motorcycle’s back tire and the car’s front tire blew out, sending both Jason and Riley skidding into an alley way.

They crashed to the ground, landing side by side, and without warning, Jason had Riley up on her feet, in a headlock with a gun pointed at her head. “Come any closer and I shot her in the head,” Jason warned, his voice full of malice. Riley panicked and began struggling against him. How could he do this to her? Wasn’t she part of his plan? She looked up and saw two of Black Mask’s men headed towards them, but paused a few feet in front of them, pointing their guns at Jason.

“Go ahead,” one of them prompted. “Boss just wants us to bring her body back.” She froze as the realization that her father only cared about what the scientist had turned her into. The fact she was his daughter had nothing to do with his desire to bring her back. She, just like everyone else, was a means to an end. Both to her father and Jason.

The emptiness she felt briefly was filled with rage, specifically towards her father. From the start, she knew she was nothing else to Jason, and she had come to terms with it seeing as he was paying her, but her father. The man who had raised her. The man who put her through hell and back, all for her supposed benefit. Any doubt she had in her mind about loving her father was confirmed in that instant.

Before anyone could do something, the two men across from her were hit by something that whizzed by her, causing them to fall to the ground seconds before Batman and Robin appeared before her. The duo knocked out the men before turning to Jason and Riley.

“Let her go,” Batman growled. Riley turned her head slightly to glance over at Jason, who was wearing his red hood. Where’d that come from?

“Why don’t you let her decide?” Jason countered as he pushed her forward.

Riley glanced between Batman and Robin and Jason. He was giving her the chance to be free. Not that she truly believed that. If she chose to be free, there was no doubt in her mind that she would be killed. He made that clear when she first met him. Although, she had a feeling Batman was aware of that and would try to keep her safe. At the moment though, she wasn’t so sure she wanted to be free from Jason. He wanted to bring down her father at any cost, and so did she. No longer would she be loyal to someone that abused her for as long as her father had. And she doubted Batman would let her follow her vendetta against Roman Sionis.

Riley walked back towards Jason and said over her shoulder, “Thanks for the help, Batman, but I’m sticking with the Red Hood.”


End file.
